A LOOM WITH A VIEW. Heidi Haubrich works with several different mediums such as acrylic or wool yarn, wool roving (to add that puffy texture), raffia, and even plastic bags.

About a year ago, Heidi Haubrich saw some samples of 3D woven art online and decided that she had to try making some herself. As a long-time lover of crafts and do-it-yourself projects, the Eau Claire artist quickly fell in love with this art form and now sells some of the pieces that she makes online.

Haubrich works with several different mediums such as acrylic or wool yarn, wool roving (to add that puffy texture), raffia, and even plastic bags. She creates wall hangings, tapestries, dreamcatchers, and plant hangers on frame looms that she makes herself. Some of the more complex pieces can take several weeks to complete, but Haubrich feels very satisfied with the end results and always feels happy after creating something new.

“Art is anything that someone created. It’s subjective.” – Heidi Haubrich, on those who say her woven art isn’t really “art”

Everyday objects or patterns can inspire Haubrich to make an entirely new piece. A design will catch her eye, and then she’ll find a way to weave it into her next project. The type of designs that she makes vary from day to day, with some symmetrical patterns and shapes or some freer, less structured works flowing across the loom, depending on her mood or state of mind. Haubrich says that creating and working with her hands is the best part of being an artist, along with the process of starting with nothing and ending with a beautiful product that she created herself.

The trickier part of being an artist, according to Haubrich, is not having enough time to work on all of the ideas that she comes up with. With a two-year-old and an eight-month-old to look after during the week and a job working at a floral shop on the weekends, finding time for art isn’t always easy. However, Haubrich says that the artistic process relaxes her and is overall a good complement with being a stay-at-home mom. It allows her to be there with her children while expanding her artistic side and doing something that is completely her own and for herself.

Haubrich knows that not everyone gets her art style or would consider it art. To her, “Art is anything that someone created. It’s subjective.” Haubrich has had people suggest and assert that what she does is not or should not be considered art, but she doesn’t mind if her pieces simply aren’t art for you. The important thing, she says, is that “I like it, and other people do, too. Everyone’s into their own things.” No matter what aspiring artists may hear to the contrary, Haubrich says that they should keep working toward their artistic dreams. She encourages them to “keep going at it, keep with it, keep experimenting until you find something that speaks to you.”

With her etsy.com store, TheRiverHaze, doing so well, Haubrich feels quite happy with how things have been going with her art. In the future, she hopes to keep trying new projects and adding more pieces and new designs to her artistic repertoire.

If you’re interested in seeing some of Haubrich’s work up close, then you can swing by the Volume One Gallery on Friday, May 6, from 6:30-8:30pm for the opening reception of TheRiverHaze art collection. Haubrich says that she picked out several intricate 3D woven art pieces for the gallery that feature neutral colors and eye-catching textures.

For more samples of Haubrich’s work and to follow along with her artistic process, you can look at the pieces she has posted on her online shop or follow TheRiverHaze on Facebook or Instagram. Tangled up in Hue in downtown Eau Claire has a few of her works as well.

WOVEN: The River Haze Collection by Heidi Haubrich • May 6-June 25 • The Volume One Gallery, 205 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire • volumeone.org/sites/storegallery